Hello football friends!

Who will be the German champion? Only FCB or BVB Borussia? A Bundesliga cup battle is inevitable and I’m happy to be able to write my first column for you.

But before I give you my prediction for Round 34, I have to look back eleven years, because these images keep popping into my head these days.

Absolute silence reigned around me, I looked at my legs in front of me, my thoughts swirled frantically in circles. I felt bewildered, humble, but at the same time, incredible defiance. On 12 May 2012, Borussia Dortmund beat us 5-2 in the German Cup final.

The defeat was so painful that it spurred us on. In the dressing room in Berlin, it was already clear to us: the summer break will not be a break. This could not continue. We knew that we had everything we needed to win titles, we immediately felt the pressure and the desire to immediately continue to work on ourselves, on the culture, in order to return to full strength for the start of the new season.

“The season was full of interference”

This was a big advantage for our team. Today is the tenth anniversary of what we achieved then at Wembley, including elsewhere.
Failure is part of professional sports, whether it be individually or as a team. It is important then to draw the right conclusions, make the right decisions and work hard.

This still applies, especially to the current situation at my former club Bayern. This season has been a season of disruptions that have combined to turn into a wildfire.

There was no recognizable clear line in club management, communication with the outside world seemed inconsistent, too many topics off the field caused excitement. In addition, there were too many goals conceded. As a result, the team is not whole and does not deserve titles.

“Everything must be questioned”

Coach Thomas Tuchel is the right person in the right place. He is hard on himself, hard on the team – that kind of mentality is needed now, everyone at Bayern needs that kind of mentality when he thinks about this season. Everything must be questioned: the board, the management of the club, transfers.

But it is also important to stay positive, to think positively. Bayern have always had a strong winning mentality, good debating culture and cohesion both inside and outside. This should be the focus.

For all the team’s undeniable footballing qualities, I could no longer recognize that attitude at FCB.

Bayern just screwed up.

So my prediction for Saturday is: Borussia will become German champions because Bayern made them that way. With seven defeats, it was indeed Dortmund’s underwhelming performance of the season, meanwhile BVB was left completely behind. Bayern just screwed up.

In fact, it’s not bad for German football that the long era of the FCB championship is coming to an end. Excitement until the last day of the championship fight means a big plus in attractiveness for the Bundesliga, a gain in charisma. This is urgently needed because it has suffered a lot in recent years.

In 2012 BVB and Bayern were the top two teams in Europe. In order to establish them again, regain international respect and return to the world class, both those in charge in the Bundesliga and the DFB will have to put in a lot of effort in the future.

Winning the title for Dortmund could be a start in the right direction.